


when the search's end is within arms reach

by catarinabelarmino



Category: The Haunting of Hill House (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Sibling Bonding, or something
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 14:52:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16328120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catarinabelarmino/pseuds/catarinabelarmino
Summary: "With friends," Steven says rubbing Luke's back for comfort with his thumbs, if someone said to him three years ago that Steven would be his ground on these difficult days Luke would have laughed himself sick, maybe he would cry later because of the comfort that he would never have. Not just Steven, Theo and Shirl... they are so good for him, and all it took was Luke's want to be better. And now? Now he has this warmth.Luke looks for comfort when bad feelings return.





	when the search's end is within arms reach

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, boy, I finished this show yesterday and omg, what was that? I loved it. Not betaed, **be warned**!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> _**A** boy of anguish now, he's a man of soul,_
> 
> _**T** raded in his misery for the lonely life of the road._
> 
> _**T** he years were cruel to him no_
> 
> _**H** e won't let them go_
> 
> _**L** ays awake tryna' find the man inside_
> 
> _**T** o pack his bags and escape this world_
> 
>  
> 
> | **A** sking Alexandria – **M** oving On |

 

 

 

The bangs on the door are steady.  _One, two, three, four, five, six, seven._  A stop.  _One, two, three, four, five, six, seven._ Luke is accustomed to the numbers that it is natural for him. The sequence comes easy. He does not realize that. One—

"Who the—" Steven says when he opens the door, he does not have the time to finish the sentence because Luke is throwing himself at him on a tight hug. "Hey." He is surprised. Luke can tell that Steven is trying to hide it. 

Luke feels arms around him, not tentatively like before—when things were so blurry that he has to struggle with his mind to remember. 

"Sorry." He whispers not so sure why.

"You woke up Eleanor. She is crying now." Steven scolds his brother. He is not mad, Luke knows. The smile tilts at the corner of his mouth remembering that little Eleanor soothes immediately in any circumstances when on the arms of his father. 

"Where's Leigh?" He asks, already calmed by the embrace and he almost forgets the real reasons of his appearance here. 

"With friends," Steven says rubbing Luke's back for comfort with his thumbs, if someone said to him three years ago that Steven would be his ground on these difficult days Luke would have laughed himself sick, maybe he would cry later because of the comfort that he would never have. Not just Steven, Theo and Shirl... they are so good for him, and all it took was Luke's want to be better. And now? Now he has this warmth.

"Good, can I stay a little?" He asks. Oh, Leigh is a saint and one of the best persons that Luke had the pleasure of knowing, yet he is ashamed. Luke does not want to tell Steven too. However, they did an oath. He cannot break that with any of his siblings—not like before, the twin would never be like that again.

"Sure, come in," Steven says, after some time Luke let his brother go of the grip, entering and hearing the door being closed behind him. "I will put Eleanor to sleep again," Steven says heading for the stairs. When Steven realizes that Luke is not following he pauses and turns around. "Luke, I won't tell you again to make yourself at home, please."

Steven comprehends that Luke is always wary of hospitality, though. Years of being rout out of his sibling's home. Habits are difficult to drop. Although, when Steven smiles Luke walks toward him already forgetting his doubts and fears.

He can hear the cry of little Eleanor before entering the corridor upstairs. Luke sees his niece constantly since he is always around. Sometimes, just the thought of her is sufficient to knock some sense into himself.

When inside the bedroom, the first scene that he can see is of Steven holding his baby girl, singing a lullaby that Luke does not identify. Little Eleanor is giving up the restlessness because of the smooth voice of her father, Steven has such a way with her and Luke cannot tell if this is only with her or with any child.

"Oh, definitely just Eleanor," Steven says, startling Luke and when he does not respond Steven sighs amused. "You asked if I were good with children or just Eleanor. My answer is just Eleanor."

"I asked?" He asks dumbly, seeing Steven putting little Eleanor on her cradle.

"Yes, you asked," Steven says walking past the door and to the corridor, Luke behind him promptly. "I'm terrible with children, I'm definitely not like Theo. I don't know why Eleanor is so fond of me like that, sure she's my kid but... I didn't expect that attachment. I'm still stunned by that." 

Lukes laughs gently. "You always took care of us when we were kids. That's a natural thing for you." He says, following Steven through the house. The kitchen neat as always. 

"Want something?" Steven asks. Luke asks for a glass of water. "That's not true."

Lukes takes a mouthful of water, then, "What's not true?" 

"I didn't take care of any of you, truthfully speaking."

"Bullshit—"

"If this were true nothing bad would have happened with you back then, all the pain—" Steven starts, Luke interferes harshly with laughter.

"You didn't oblige me to take all that shit, Steven. I did all that to myself."

"Still, that's something I won't forgive myself for." He says, voice steady like an iron. "I was a shit brother, I was for a long time. I regret not being there for any of you."

Luke puts the cup aside to grasp his brother's wrist. "Hey, hey, we resolved that three years ago. Stop regretting what has passed." 

"Oh, look at you all adult, huh?" Steven says, trying for mock but smiling with proud instead. Despite everything, Luke knows that Steven will not let that go, the guilt. He will drop the matter now, but everyone has their ghosts when alone. "So, you were pretty shaken when you knocked on my door. What's the problem?"

Luke's right hand is still holding his brother's wrist. The grip tightening and Steven covers Luke's hand with his own, squeezing reassuringly. "Luke, you can tell me everything."

"I know." He says weakly, voice almost fading.

"So spill."

White knuckles become whiter if that was possible. Luke turns his face. The grip will surely bruise the skin of his brother's wrist. Steven does not seem to mind. 

"Luke?" 

" _Luke_?" Steven snaps, but it did not work, at all. Luke can see movement in the corner of his eyes, and Steven is suddenly in front of him, hugging him with his free arm. 

"Sorry."

"Don't, Luke. What did you saw?" Steven asks, his voice soft. 

"The tall man again." 

Steven sighs, not tiredly, just worried. "Don't be afraid of it, Luke. The tall man is some sort of memory,  _only_ a memory."

"Yes, I know that." Luke says shrinking.

"Perhaps a snippet of your fear of returning to be like before." Steven says and with that Luke get out of his hazy mind, looking upwards to see the loving expression on the face of his brother. 

Luke exhales a relieved breath with that, letting go of his brother's wrist, involving Steven's torso in a crushing hug—Steven does not complain so Luke does not loosen his arms. He needs the confirmation of the real and Steven is so fucking real at this moment that Luke is frightened by the thought of Steven disappearing if he let him go.

He shudders when he feels Steven's hand on the nape of his neck, caressing the skin and the hair slowly.

"Luke?"

"Just—" He tries to say, stuttering. "I—"

"Okay, take your time, buddy."

And that is enough, the warm and the reality of this moment.

**Author's Note:**

>  ~~I wrote Crane instead of Crain, and I realized my mistake after one million of years later; not even surprised about that. _Damn Google_.~~  
>   
> 
> And I don't have the slightest idea why I thought that the child of Steven called Nell, I only saw this detail after seeing the scene at the beginning of the last episode again. So I corrected that on the text, sorry for the two mistakes—the family name and the name of the child.
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](https://catarinabelarmino.tumblr.com)


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